The new Middle East: Can a ‘NATO of the East’ work?
episodePreviously titled “The new Middle East: The ‘NATO of the East’” — renamed by the publisher on Sep 3, 2026
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What is the Mecca Pact and why was it created?
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This episode of The General and the Journalist is brought to you by Team Orion. At a time where the world is increasingly uncertain, defence needs more than traditional logistics to face those challenges. It takes trusted data, rapid decision-making and operational resilience. That's where Team Orion comes in. Strengthening defence readiness through integration. Combining the sovereign expertise of KBR, Unipart and IBM, Team Orion delivers the decision-making power and support systems to sustain forces when the stakes are high. Discover how Team Orion is helping shape the future of defence readiness. Follow them on LinkedIn at Team Orion Defence. Last week, we asked whether a new Middle East was beginning to take shape.
This week, we may be seeing what that looks like. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed the Mecca Pact, a new defence alliance which is being compared to NATO. Details are sketchy, but at the heart of it, three significant military powers now apparently bound by one striking promise. An attack on one is an attack on all three. And this week, the alliance formally met for the first time. So why have they done this? Why now? And how much could the Mecca pact reshape a fast-changing Middle East? I'm Tom.
And I'm Patrick. Welcome to
The General and the Journalist. Well, joining us this week is another general and arguably a man who's one of Britain's most knowledgeable experts on the region. And we're a tad biased. He's also an old friend of both of us. Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall. Simon is a former UK Deputy Defence Chief of Staff and the UK government's Senior Defence Advisor for the Middle East. Since retiring, he's also become a historian in his own right, writing two powerful books, Soldier in the Sand and The House of War. And he still advises governments in the Gulf. From where he's joining us today, Simon, a huge welcome. And how about that for an intro?
Fantastic, Tom. Thank you very much. As you rightly say, three old friends getting around a microphone or two and a screen or two to chat about one of the burning issues, the future of the Middle East, which, of course, as your last speaker, Sebag, said, is very, very dependent on how you want to view the past of the Middle East.
Yeah, everything is somewhat interconnected, as we learn a lot from CBAC. Simon, before we dive in, I'm not going to miss this opportunity to ask you about Patrick, because Patrick, for some time, two different jobs, my research tells me, was your subordinate. I think he was your chief of staff when you were brigade commander and then in a policy role in the MOD. So what was he like as an underling?
I was extremely fortunate, I can say that without very Patrick's bludgers, to have him and an excellent man called Ewan McClay as my chief of staff and decos. Both of them highly talented, both of them very much tipped for stardom. But I spotted talent with Patrick early on. And I like to think I partly was a mentor and an enabler to get him to the lofty ranks. And I I do recall saying quite publicly, I've got to leave the army before I end up calling you sir, Patrick. And I just made it out. But no, we are great professional friends. And it was a privilege to serve together. And I think we had what we like to call an excellent band of brothers in the mighty 1st Mechanized Brigade. It was a huge professional privilege to be working with talented people and a great personal pleasure.
Well, Simon, I mean, you're talking to us from the Middle East now, but you've spent an enormous chunk of your career in the Middle East. I've always thought that you come from, you sort of epitomise that amazing breed of British soldier diplomats with an extraordinarily deep cultural affinity for the region.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the Mecca Pact and why was it created?
0:00–5:18
2
How do Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan each contribute to the alliance?
5:18–10:39
3
Why is the Mecca Pact emerging now – is it a response to Iran or U.S. unreliability?
10:39–16:04
4
Is the Mecca Pact comparable to NATO – does it include Article 5‑like commitments?
16:04–21:49
5
What are the practical military and logistical challenges of joint operations?
21:49–28:03
6
Could the alliance evolve into an offensive power bloc in the Middle East?
28:03–32:53
7
How might other regional players (Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Israel) react to the pact?
32:53–37:19
8
Should listeners view the Mecca Pact as a stabilising force or a new source of tension?
37:19–41:54